Friday, July 9, 2010

Oh, but blogging is not a waste of time!

I mean, seriously, you can use as many adverbs and adjectives as you want. Not to mention exclamation points and passive verbs like is, are, was, and were. That alone makes it worth while, right? Even better, though, are the discussions that almost always follow a well-intentioned, but not so carefully worded post. This is exactly what happened here on Wednesday. If you missed it, you can scroll down and read it now. Yes, in that post, I stated that my blog wasn't helping me sell books, and I meant it, just not in the way in which it was taken. To set the record straight, I'm here today to clarify. Is my blog helping me sell books right now? No! Will it in the future? Absolutely. And it's never too late to start branding yourself. I've spent the last week catching up on blog reading, and so many of you are talking about taking a break from blogging because it's such a time suck. The point of my post on Wednesday was to say, "Hey, it's okay. Your writing should always come first." I in no way, shape, or form, meant to imply that social networking is not a valuable marketing tool. It truly is the best PR out there, and we should all use it wisely. By that, I mean, use it to our advantage rather than our detriment. I'll be exploring this topic further next week with a repost of an interview I had with marketing expert, Shelli Johannes over at Market My Words. It was a super long post, and I hate those, so I'll spread the interview out over several days (one question at a time) to allow for continued discussion. Until then, I hope you all have a fantastic weekend!

20 comments:

Wendy Paine Miller said...

Looking forward to that interview!
~ Wendy!

Jaime Wright said...

I totally agree! :) AND I look forward to your interview next week

storyqueen said...

I, too. love the discussion element of blogs. It's like having a great conversation with other writers from your comfy chair in your jammies!

Shelley

Diane said...

I knew what you meant. Happy weekend!!! :O)

Anne Gallagher said...

I know exactly what you mean. It's a time suck but it does build the platform. Can't wait until next week.

Jill Kemerer said...

I really enjoy blogging, but like any other time consuming task, I like it better at some times than others. I find there are ways to reduce my blogging time for short bouts, and then my schedule loosens up and I can put more into it again.

Looking forward to reading the interview.

Have a great weekend!

Heather Sunseri said...

I look forward to the discussions from the interview questions, Susan! Have a good weekend!

Sarah Simas said...

HI Susan!

I know all too well how much commitment it takes to operate a blog. LOL I agree 100% with you that writing needs to come first. I didn't follow that little tidbit for a long time and was constantly stressed on how to balance my blog and writing. Now, I definitely put writing first and as long as I don't have an author interview scheduled I'm more willing to take a day off to write. :)

You're doing a great job! ((hugs!))

Smile!,
Sarah

Jennifer Shirk said...

Can't wait for next week!

Have a great weekend!

Suzanne Casamento said...

I know what you mean. Writing has to come first. I've been doing very little blog reading and commenting over the last couple weeks as I'm wrapping up my WIP.

We gotta do what we gotta do.

Another note, I hate long blog posts too. ;)

Sherrie Petersen said...

I always blog less when I'm in the throes of writing or rewriting a book. And summertime is harder, too, with the kids home. So I haven't been out visiting blogs too much recently either.

Tana said...

I look forward to next week! Have a great weekend!!!

Karen M. Peterson said...

I knew what you were talking about the other day. And I agree that sometimes we do need to take breaks from blogging, without feeling guilty about it.

MrsBlogAlot said...

Have a great weekend Susan!

Janna Leadbetter said...

Absolutely! You've said this well.

Happy weekend, Susan!

Stina said...

Yes, writing definitely comes first. Your post inspired me to really cut down on my blogging this summer. But it makes sense since the blog traffic is lighter at this time of year anyway. :D

Can't wait to read your interview.

Carolyn V. said...

I think it helps to get your name out there, but it does suck the time away. That's why I am trying to do most of my blogging when my brain is ready to take a break. =)

Tabitha Bird said...

I agree. Have a good weekend. :)

#167 Dad said...

it's true, there are a boat load of lousy blogs out there. yours is not one of them. blogging is writing.

Glynis Peters said...

Our blogs help us communicate with other writers from around the world. I love that I can call in for coffee and find you home. I love that I can read interesting posts, and that you come to call on me.
I went crazy at first and joined every blog I saw. Now I am eliminating the weak ones.

Happy Scribbling.